One week after an exhibition associated with India’s top biennial, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, closed to due to religious protests, the offending painting has been withdrawn from the show.
The work, Supper at a Nunnery by Tom Vattakuzhy, was being exhibited in a recurring side exhibition also organized by the Kochi Biennale Foundation called “EDAM,” which highlights the practices of artists and collectives based in Kerala, the south Indian state where Kochi is located. The painting depicts a naked Mata Hari, the Dutch dancer executed as a German spy by the French during World War I, in the role of Jesus, surrounded by nuns in the role of the disciples.
Since opening in December, the show has recieved backlash from various Indian Christian organizations, which have accused the artist of “insulting” the faith and called for the painting’s removal. (Kerala is home to India’s largest Christian population, with some 6 million adherents.) The Kochi Biennale Foundation closed the exhibition for several days last week in response.
While Vattakuzhy has denied that the work was intended to offend, and the foundation initially said they would not remove the work, both parties relented on Sunday. In a press release, the foundation said that EDAM’s venue had remained closed—despite earlier statements that it would reopen on January 2—to be in compliance with government directives regarding the ongoing petitions for the painting’s removal. The foundation also said it held a meeting with local officials on the matter.
“Following this, the curator of ‘Edam’ and the artist concerned have decided to withdraw the painting from the exhibition respecting public sentiments and in the interest of the common good. The Kochi Biennale Foundation, which has always stood for artistic and curatorial freedom, respects their decision. Accordingly, the work will no longer be on display at the venue, which has now been reopened to the public,” the statement said, according to the Indian Express.
The venue for “EDAM” opened shortly after the removal of the painting.
